Charles Alimena gained confidence, saw 6 seasons, high-A
Giants minor leaguer Charles Alimena saw his hitting start slowly. He then connected with fellow Sacramento-area local and major leaguer Greg Vaughn and his confidence grew, The Sacramento Bee wrote in May 1992.
That May, in his third pro season, Alimena was at single-A Clinton and hitting .337, The Bee wrote.
"Vaughn kept telling him how good he was," Giants scout Doug McMillan told The Bee of Alimena. "He worked on him and developed his confidence and now his confidence and ability continue to grow."
Alimena, however, couldn't keep up that early momentum. By season's end, his average had fell. He continued playing three more seasons. He topped out at high-A.
Alimena's career began in 1990, signed by the Giants as a free agent out of Jesuit High School in Sacramento. Alimena was also credited as Charlie Alimena and Chuck Alimena.
At Jesuit, Alimena also played wide receiver football, credited with making several big catches for the team, according to The Bee.
"He's probably one of the better wide receivers in the area," his quarterback Chris Bradford told The Bee. "He and I are able to look at each other and tell what plays to run."
Alimena started with the Giants at short-season Everett. He saw 15 games and hit .057. He then played 1991 in the rookie Arizona League. He hit .251 there in 50 games.
Then came 1992 and Clinton. He saw 119 games on the year, but ended with a .218 average. He returned to Clinton for 1993 and saw 110 games. He hit .247.
Alimena saw Clinton again in 1994 and 25 games at high-A San Jose. He hit .300 at San Jose and .274 overall.
His final season came in 1995 at San Jose. He saw 54 games and hit .205 to end his career.
- Sacramento Bee, Oct. 5, 1989: It's Alimena to the rescue!
- Sacramento Bee, May 10, 1992: 'Rookie shock' didn't derail former Jesuit star Alimena
Made the Majors:1,487-31.6%
Never Made Majors:3,222-68.4%-X